The former Bulls coach is current working for SA sports supplements company USN, having controversially missed out on the Bok coaching job to Peter de Villiers. The Ireland Rugby Union are currently looking for a new coach, having sacked Eddie O’Sullivan after nightmare World Cup and Six Nations campaigns.

“It will, of course, be a great honour if the Irish administrators approach me but there has been no official discussions between us,” Meyer told a Dublin newspaper. “I miss being involved in something special, such as a culture in which people will die for each other. I have always thought Irish rugby had that passion.”

Meyer believes Ireland have the potential to become a serious threat on the international stage.

“I have no doubts that the Irish are capable of reaching great heights,” he said. “I really thought they would do well in the World Cup. Of all the teams in the northern hemisphere, they are the ones who can look the southern hemisphere giants in the eyes. I have always watched Irish rugby with great interest.”

If Meyer does get the job, he will ironically coach against the Boks in Dubai at the end of the year, in a match that will form part of a Grand Slam tour for the South Africans. However, Munster coach Declan Kidney is expected to beat Meyer – and the other contenders – to the Ireland job. The club recently qualified for the European Cup semi-finals, further boosting Kidney’s claims.